NIGHTFALL - UPGRADES

I love CBC Radio’s horror anthology Nightfall, but have long been frustrated by the poor sound quality on many of the available episodes. So, for the last couple years I’ve been tracking down Nightfall cassettes from all over the place, digitizing them and cleaning them up when necessary. I’ve also pulled a handful of episodes from BBC’s recent rebroadcasts. 

Most are in FLAC format, all are in Mp3. While I digitized multiple versions of many episodes, for the sake of simplicity, I’ve just included the best sounding version of each unless there was a big difference in length or content (different openings, closings, etc). Each episode is tagged with its source:

[DH] Durkin Hayes cassette (1995-2000)

[BMG] Series of cassettes distributed by BMG Music in the UK (1987) 

[MHS] Musical Heritage Society cassette (1984-87)

[CBC] Series of cassettes distributed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (1984) 

[BBC] Episodes recently streamed over the BBC

[96K] Mp3s compressed at 96kps VBR (better sound than most Nightfall Mp3s out there)

If you have good quality recordings of any episodes not included here, I would love to get my hands on them! 

Here are all the episode upgrades included here:

1 Love and the Lonely One [BBC]

Written by John Graham

Two medical students, Fred and George, steal the body of an elderly lady from the anatomy lab of their school to perform a joke. However, the prank causes a girl from another dimension to come to life where she begins to interfere in Fred’s life, before he succumbs and joins her in death. 

2 The Monkey’s Paw [MHS]

Adapted by Len Peterson from W.W. Jacobs' short story

Mr and Mrs White, and their adult son are introduced to a mummified monkey’s paw which grants them three wishes. Each wish is granted, however these always occur via hellish and unintended consequences.

3 Welcome to Homerville [BBC]

Written by Don Dickinson & Allan Guttman

A lonely trucker, RC, is heading towards Homerville. Fellow drivers and others along the way are horrified to learn of his destination and beg for him to avoid Homerville at all costs, however as he continues to drive, the destination gets further away.

4 Hands Off [BBC]

Written by John Graham

A scientist experimenting with hostility in animals accidentally spills a chemical on his hand which causes animosity toward him. He resorts to killing his assistant and the lab security guard, before being chased into by guard dogs. Sensing no escape, he chops off his hand before suffocating.

5 The Telltale Heart [MHS]

Adapted by Len Peterson from Edgar Allan Poe's short story

A drifter goes to work on a farm for an old man, and becomes obsessed with the man’s “evil eye”, resorting to eventually killing him and stashing his body beneath the floor. When the police come to check on the farm, his guilt begins to increase and the sound of a heartbeat takes over.

6 Late Special [DH]

Written by Clint Bomphrey

A car crash in bad weather leads to a couple becoming injured, with the man unable to move and the woman unable to see. Despite this, the woman heads out to seek help and finds an abandoned railway station where a strange man offers a deal in exchange for fixing her eyesight.

7 Future Fear [DH]

Written by John Graham

A middle-aged couple find their television set is receiving a strange broadcast showing them the future. When they see visions of their sons involvement in a fascist regime, they debate whether to take action in the present and kill him.

8 How Did You Get My Name? [BBC]

Written by Don Dickinson & Allan Guttman

A man is released from a mental hospital and stays with an old friend. He immediately begins to receive phone calls and mail to the address and goes on to discover his own life and that of his friends is not what he thought it was.

9 The Body Snatchers [DH] and [MHS]

Adapted by Frank W. McEnaney from Robert Louis Stevenson's story

Fettes comes across eminent doctor Macfarlane with whom he attended medical school, and recalls their work in taking bodies for dissection and paying the shifty men who deliver the corpses.

10 The Willoughby Obsession [BBC] and [MHS]

Written by George R. Robertson

Charles Willoughby, a lawyer for powerful underworld people dies of a heart attack shortly after his wife is electrocuted in the bath tub. Paul, a reporter is convinced supernatural powers are at play due to a number of oddities with the case.

11 No Admittance/No Exit [DH] and [MHS]

Written by Don Bailey & Milo Ringham

In a garage, a female employee badly injures her hand which results in the owner and a customer rushing her to hospital. Arriving at a futuristic clinic, the group find a torturous procedure to navigate in their attempts to get help.

12 Windchill [DH]

Written by David McCaughna

After becoming stuck in a snow drift while searching for her friends cottage, Sue meets Barry who offers her shelter. Arriving at the cabin, events take a turn for the stranger when Sue begins to hear voice-like noises and Barry tells her the story of his younger brother who drowned.

13 The Repossession [DH] [BBC]

Written by Arthur Samuels

Robert, a surviving conjoined twin, begins having nightmares about the death of his brother Douglas thirty years ago. He begins to feel that his twin brother is somehow responsible for oddities occurring in his life. Finally encountering Douglas, he finds his brother has set out to destroy him.

14 The Stone Ship [96k]

Adapted by Len Peterson from William Hope Hodgson's story

The Alfred Jessop enters the tropics having left London, and encounters a ghostly graveyard of ships. The crew come across a ship made of solid stone where they also find the ghosts of the tough old captain and crew.

15 Special Services [96k]

Written by Martin Kinch

A couple rush to see their aunt after being informed she is dying. They are involved in a car crash on the way after encountering four ambulances. In the hospital, the situation becomes weirder when a staff member mentions special services they offer relating to organs for important people.

16 Buried Alive [BBC]

Written by John Graham

The Great Santini, a hypnotist, has a plan to defraud his insurance company of half a million dollars by faking his own death and allowing himself to be buried alive. However, his assistants who are supposed to dig him up have other ideas.

17 Last Visit [MHS]

Written by Ray Will

The Lundens are on their way to visit their daughter, but are forced by a terrible fog in Newfoundland to stop at the Eternity Cove Hotel and Lounge. However, Eternity Cove is a place populated by seemingly one man and the fog plays tricks on those who visit.

18 Ringing the Changes [MHS]

Adapted by P. Norman Cherrie from Robert Aickman's short story

Gerald and Phrynne Halstead arrive in Holyhaven where they stay in the Bell Hotel. However, everyone in the small town believes they have arrived at the wrong time – October 31st – and the town has a secret it is desperate to keep.

19 The Devil’s Backbone [DH]

Written by Silver Donald Cameron

In the sea close to Halifax, Nova Scotia in the area known as the Devil’s Backbone, two divers try to find a sunken treasure. They experience problems with one finding claw marks on his diving suit upon returning to the surface, and hear of a curse which inhabits the area.

20 The Blood Countess Part 1: Blood Red [DH]

Written by Ray Canale

Based on the historic story of Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, the Blood Countess of Hungary. The story begins with the death soon after of her husband Count Ferencz Báthory, which is the impetus for his wife’s heinous crimes.

21 The Blood Countess Part 2: Blood Blue [DH]

Written by Ray Canale

The countess attempts to summon her husbands return from death, as a number of the people in the village work out that she is behind the murders of peasant girls in the village for their blood. She is subsequently sentenced to a fitting punishment.

22 Deadly Developments [MHS]

Written by Arlene Ezrin

Professional photographer André Phillipe and his assistant Steve prepare for a photo shoot for an upcoming horror novel. They have acquired a Von Hensdorf – a rare camera from pre-war Germany – which has an unusual outcome when used.

23 Where Does the News Come From? [DH]

Written by James D. (Jimmy) Morris

Foreign news correspondent David Winston returns from Rome and is offered a news anchor position, replacing a friend who walks from the job and into a padded cell. Winston soon finds a range of conspiracy-laden tales from long-time friend Stella.

24 Where Do We Go From Here? [MHS]

Written by Max Ferguson

Neville Edwards is involved in a car accident though still very much alive. However, the gathering crowd around him see him as dead. Neville recalls his days events, awaits aid to ‘save’ him from his increasing panic. It is only once in the morgue that he begins to realise what is happening.

25 On Christmas Day In the Morning [96k]

Written by Don Dickinson & Allan Guttman

A local mail carrier is killed by a hit-and-run driver on Christmas morning. The mayor’s son and his girlfriend are thought responsible for the incident, however the police must prove their case by working out how the mail carrier made his final delivery to a reclusive old lady, after he was killed.

26 The Appetite of Mr. Lucraft [96k]

Written by P. Norman Cherrie

Down on his luck, Mr. Lucraft is an actor who is on the point of starvation. A man named Ebeneezer Grumbelow offers him a feast which he accepts, before also offering to buy his Lucraft’s appetite. However, on agreeing to the deal, Lucraft begins to experience the terms of the arrangement.

27 The Guest of Honor [MHS]

Written by Len Peterson

Elderly Lady Flora Neville, renowned for hosting elaborate balls, has become bored of the same guests. She longs to invite a guest who would rouse her, and decides on Death himself. However, upon agreeing to attend the party, Death is not what anyone expected.

30 Dark Side of the Mind [DH]

Written by Max Ferguson

During a wave of child-murders which terrorise a city, dentist Jeff Robbins and his wife Myrna encounter old friend Carl and invite him over for a visit. However, when Jeff is called away, he discovers startling news about Carl.

31 Wildcats [DH]

Adapted by Otto Lowy from Christian Noak's short story

A man, Julian, gets off at the wrong train station and has to spend the night at the Blue Trout Inn, an old rundown hotel run by two sisters who live in fear of the local wildcats. After many years alone, the pair plot to keep Julian there to make up for the emptiness in their lives.

32 The Room [DH]

Adapted by Graham Haley from Michael McCabe's story

A widow offers a large sum to anyone who is willing to spend a night in the Yellow Room - a room in which her husband died many years prior. She advises that a number of men have previously attempted the feat but they either go mad or die of fright, though skeptical young Ronald Todd decides to try.

34 The Book of Hell [MHS] [BBC]

Written by Mavor Moore

Two editors and a president of a failing publishing company receive a strange manuscript from a reclusive author... who happens to have been dead for two years. The book tells of a first-hand account of a soul's experience while in Hell. However, the book can not be printed, photocopied or recorded in any way.

36 The Fatal Eggs [CBC] and [BMG]

Adapted by Arthur Samuels from Mikhail Bulgakov's short story

An aging zoologist accidentally discovers that he has produced an amphibian that can breed rapidly and grows to an abnormally large size. Confirming the experiment, he soon comes to the attention of the Soviet secret service, who plan on using the animals to their advantage.

39 Carmilla [MHS]

Adapted by John Douglas & Graham Pomeroy from Sheridan Le Fanu's story

Set in the Black Forest in Germany, a wealthy man and his daughter receive a mysterious house guest who has to be left with them while on a journey. The guest, Carmilla, has a secret life however which threatens to destroy anyone who encounters her.

40 In the Eye of the Beholder [DH] [BBC]

Written by Burke Campbell

A doctor advises ill-tempered farmer, Jack, to have eye surgery before he goes completely blind. Returning home, a mysterious young man shows up and offers to help him when his car breaks down, however the farmer's past comes back to haunt him.

41 Cemetery Stop [DH]

Written by Margery Stewart

A bus driver struggles after the death of his wife, and his regular route proves difficult with him being late and missing stops. On a lonely section of the run, he finds that a woman keeps getting off at the cemetery, leading him to need to find out where she is going.

43 Baby Doll [BBC]

Written by Larry LeClair

Young husband Alex, buys his wife Kathleen an antique doll for their anniversary. However, during the night Kathleen hears a baby crying, which becomes the first of a number of incidents in which she takes to mothering the doll like a real child.

47 Your Fortune in Twenty Words of Less [BBC]

Written by Larry LeClair

An old man, Mercurian, pays a visit to a two-bit carnival fortune teller, and bestows true clairvoyant powers upon him, though this comes at a price when he starts to misuse the powers for his own advantage and proving himself untrustworthy.

49 Child’s Play [BBC]

Written by Arthur Samuels

Arthur and Mary inherit her parents home - an opulent mansion - and visit it for the first time. Mary's repressed childhood memories of her strict, religious upbringing come flooding back to haunt her as well as the murder of her parents in her own bedroom.

51 The Thinking Room [DH]

Written by Tim Wynne-Jones

A man, known by everyone as 'Stink', considers committing suicide. However, he encounters 'Drum' who questions him before leading him to a room where he can finally hear his own thoughts. Meeting with a number of other people, he finds himself at The Suicide Club.

55 From My Appointed Place Below [BBC]

Sir Walter Scott's 1824 story adapted by John Douglas

Set in Scotland in the 1800s, a young man delivers his rent payment to the local laird. However, the latter dies before a receipt can be written, and the money disappears. The young man has to turn to a stranger for help.

56 The Old Post Road [DH] [BBC]

Written by William Lane

Steven and Wendy, a couple, are very late and heading to a dinner event at Wendy's parents. They decide take a shortcut down a deserted road, but in the rush, end up crashing. This leads to a string of increasingly bizarre paranormal events.

58 Harris and the Mare

Adapted by John Douglas from Stan Rogers' song

A man who is known for his placid nature and fondness of the old ways, has an outlook that mankind is generally good. However, this world view is shattered when his wife is killed in a bar fight while the pair enjoy a night out, and the other townsfolk do nothing to help.

59 The Jogger [DH]

Written by Tony Bell

Joe Brady, a faded former high-school football star, now in his forties, feels dejected with his current life, marriage and his self. He spots a jogger outside his house who begins to appear everywhere regularly, and feels he must catch him at all costs.

61 Mr. Agostino [BBC]

Written by Janet Bonellie

Carol is plagued by a mysterious man who keeps calling her telephone and asking for a Mr. Agostino. Hoping after each call it will be the last, and failing to take heed of her friend Betty's advice on not talking to him, eventually they talk and he shows up at her door uninvited.

63 The Maid’s Bell [BBC]

Adapted by John Douglas from Edith Wharton's short story

Alice Hartley, a servant takes a new job as lady's maid in a large country mansion. She is introduced to the building by another friendly maid, Agnes, however there is some mystery surrounding a service bell which should never be rang.

65 Beyond the Law [DH]

Written by Steve Petch

An unlikeable and unscrupulous real estate developer finds his business partners have started being murdered. He decides to retaliate against a Tenant's Association that blames, however the real murderer is closer to home.

73 The Dentist [DH]

Written by Bill Gray

A woman accepts a job as an assistant to dentist Dr. Stewart, who often treats the poor for free. However, she begins to suspect that something is wrong when the patients leave the office in a disassociated state, and hatches a plan using her husband.

74 Assassin Game [DH]

Written by John G. Fisher

In the future, the world is controlled by rival corporations who test university students for their potential cunning as future executives. However, when one student rejects a job offer that doesn't take no for an answer, the game becomes more intense.

75 Lazarus Rising [BBC]

Written by John Douglas

Arriving in a small town, a reporter discovers a web of revenge and sorcery while investigating a report that a man rose from the dead. He discovers that the man, George Sannox, was murdered and his daughter resurrected him for vengeance.

76 Young Goodman Brown [BBC]

Adapted by John Douglas from Nathaniel Hawthorne's story

A young man, Goodman Brown, ventures into the woods as dusk falls. He stumbles across a Satanic ritual featuring the townspeople of Salem, including his own wife. The following morning, his faith in Christianity is shaken as he is uncertain whether the events of the night were real.

84 The Brides of Olivera [DH]

Written by Larry Gaynor

A woman has been having dreams and her partner Ralph takes her to fortune teller, Olivera. She recognizes Olivera from his dreams and believes him to be an infamous serial killer who uses his psychic power to kill.

85 The Contract [DH]

Written by John Richard Wright

A young man finds himself in debt to a man he met in prison. He resorts to borrowing the money from his wealthy wife who agrees to bail him out. However, his heavy debts aren't for the gambling losses he claims.

86 Beauty’s Beast [DH]

Written by Burke Campbell

An industrial researcher makes his daughter beautiful after a car accident using an experimental technique. However, her new found looks attract a suitor who her father can not pay off to leave her.

87 The Angel of Death [DH]

Written by Raymond Storey

During the first world war, a woman becomes haunted by the mournful cries of her brother emanating from the attic of the family home after he is killed on the Western Front.

94 Walter’s Dog [BBC]

Written by Larry LeClair

An alcoholic lobsterman is unhappy with the treatment he receives from his boss. He decides to murder him by throwing him overboard, in order to become "man enough" as well as claim the insurance money for their boat.

98 After Sunset [DH]

Written by Brian Taylor

Fifty years after a small town suffers a number of murders, the killings begin again. Some of the elderly residents believe that the murderer is back, and may be an entity both ancient and evil.

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